Mayo College sexual abuse: ‘Don’t prejudge the case’
Mayo College director Lt Gen (retired) SH Kulkarni on Thursday wrote to parents of the institute’s students requesting them not to prejudge the case of alleged sexual abuse of a class 11 student until police complete their probe. He requested them not to share information on social media that may inadvertently reveal the student’s identity.
Kulkarni’s appeal came two days after the student’s father filed a first information report (FIR) in Ajmer on Tuesday, accusing six class 12 boarders at the country’s top boarding school of sexually abusing his son between July 10 and 20. HT has seen the FIR. The school management committee is a co-complainant in it.
“Please do not form judgments about the case till the police complete their investigation,” he wrote, citing media reports “about a student being bullied and sexually harassed by a group of fellow students”. Kulkarni wrote the accused are minors and hence “the highest level of confidentiality needs to be maintained”.
The Ajmer police registered a case under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act after the father’s complaint. Pocso is a stringent gender-neutral law, which also criminalises abetment of child sexual abuse and makes the trial process easier. The police refused to share the progress in the investigation.
Kulkarni cited the law and added its lays down certain types of alleged offences that need to be reported to the police. Kulkarni insisted they promptly took all steps required under the law. “The Code of Conduct of the school clearly spells out the policy guidelines to be followed. In addition, senior students sign an undertaking regarding their expected conduct.”
Kulkarni wrote the school was cooperating fully with the police probe. “We are also maintaining close liaison with the parents of all affected children to help them deal with the emotional upheaval that they are undergoing.” The father in the FIR alleged the seniors’ took his son to a washroom and took turns in sexually abusing him after barging into his room and forcing him to drink alcohol and take drugs on July 10.
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